Authors:
Cynthia Hom
1
;
Amani R. Maina-Kilaas
1
;
Kevin Ginta
2
;
Cindy Lay
3
and
George D. Montañez
1
Affiliations:
1
AMISTAD Lab, Department of Computer Science, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA, U.S.A.
;
2
Department of Math and Computer Science, Biola University, La Mirada, CA, U.S.A.
;
3
Department of Mathematical Sciences, Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, CA, U.S.A.
Keyword(s):
Awareness, Intention Perception, Risk, Trap, Agents, Intention Trilogy.
Abstract:
Being able to assess and calculate risks can positively impact an agent’s chances of survival. When other intelligent agents alter environments to create traps, the ability to detect such intended traps (and avoid them) could be life-saving. We investigate whether there are cases for which an agent’s ability to perceive intention through the assessment of environmental artifacts provides a measurable survival advantage. Our agents are virtual gophers assessing a series of room-like environments, which are potentially dangerous traps intended to harm them. Using statistical hypothesis tests based on configuration coherence, the gophers differentiate between designed traps and configurations that are randomly generated and most likely safe, allowing them access to the food contained within them. We find that gophers possessing the ability to perceive intention have significantly better survival outcomes than those without intention perception in most of the cases evaluated.